French fries. Onion rings. Fried chicken. Yum. These foods are all delicious and crunchy. And, they're all typically deep-fried. While many people associate this type of food with eating out, you can actually use a deep fryer to create your favorites from the comfort of your own home. Since deep fryers have temperature controls, it's easier to keep the oil at the perfect temperature compared to heating a pan on the stove. You can cook food faster, and have it turn out more consistently. To help you get started with cooking deep-fried foods, here are our reviews of five of the best models available. Presto 05420 FryDaddy Electric Deep Fryer Use Less OilWith this compact deep fryer, you only need four cups of oil to cook up crunchy food.Best OverallFind on Amazon You don’t have to buy gallons of oil to fry food in this deep fryer. It uses just four cups of oil, and you can cook four servings of food at one time. When you’re done cooking, and the fryer has cooled, you can snap on the lid. This way your oil stays fresh until next time, and you won’t have to smell it in your kitchen. This deep fryer is 7-inches in diameter. Its compact size makes it easy to store. The nonstick surface on the inside and outside make this fryer simple to clean. Another feature that makes this fryer easy to clean is the scoop. Instead of plopping food into the oil in a basket, you can use a slotted scoop. This holds up to hot temperatures, so you can also use it to stir the food while it’s frying. When the food is done, you can use the scoop to remove it. Pros Uses less oil so you won’t have to buy as much Comes with a snap-on lid so you can save the oil inside and reuse it Compact size that won’t take a ton of room in your kitchen Cons The handle of the scoop is a little short, so you need to be careful when using it to remove food T-fal Deep Fryer with Basket Built-In Oil Filtration SystemFiltering your oil so you can save it and reuse it has never been so simple, thanks to the unique feature of this deep fryer. Best with BasketFind on Amazon Filling a deep fryer can take a lot of oil, so it’s economical to reuse it. But, taking the time to strain and filter used cooking oil can be a pain. That’s why the oil filtering system on this deep fryer is so handy. When you’re done cooking, and the oil has cooled, you turn the knob to the “Automatic Oil Filtration” setting. The fryer will filter your oil. The oil that’s ready to use again goes into a handy plastic storage container. This deep fryer comes with a 2-position basket. You can drop it down into the oil for cooking, and then let it rest at the top. In this position, the oil will drain from your food back down into the fryer. There’s an adjustable heating element so you can pick the perfect temperature for whatever you are frying. While your food cooks, you can check how it’s coming by looking in the clear viewing window. That way it’s less likely to burn. Pros Oil filtration system so you can save and reuse your oil without as much work Adjustable heating levels allow you to cook a variety of food to crunchy perfection Viewing window so you can check on your food while it’s cooking without taking off the lid Cons This doesn’t hold as much oil as you’d expect for the size, so if you’re frying large objects you’ll likely need to rotate them for even cooking. Oster Style Compact Deep Fryer Small Size, Large Viewing WindowChecking the status of your frying food is simple thanks to the large window on this compact deep fryer. Most CompactFind on Amazon If you don’t have a lot of room in your kitchen for extra appliances, you’ll appreciate the compact size of this deep fryer. It has a 6-cup capacity, so even though it’s small, you can still cook a lot of food. While it cooks, you can look through the large viewing window and see if your food is ready. The temperature controls are adjustable, so you can set it to the exact temperature you need. The basket is easy to use, and it has a drain setting to help reduce the amount of oil on your plate. The integrated filter system helps keep the oil smell from taking over your kitchen. With the hinged lid, you’ll have less oil splattering onto your counters. The cord also has a magnetic safety feature, so if it gets accidentally pulled, the cord breaks away from the machine to shut off. Pros Small, compact size that works well in small kitchens Drain position on the basket allows the excess oil to get off the food before serving Magnetic cord senses when to shut off the machine for safety Cons Learning the art of attaching the magnetic cord properly can take some time at first, but once you make the connection it stays in place unless the machine tips or you pull it out Nurxiovo 16 Liter Electric Commercial Deep Fryer Fry Up a Lot of Delicious FoodWith this large capacity, double basket deep fryer, you can quickly cook enough for a crowd. Best Commercial StyleFind on Amazon If you want to serve fried food to a crowd, you need a larger deep fryer. Otherwise, you’ll spend too much of your time frying. The extra-large capacity of this fryer will help save you time. The basket can hold 8.5 quarts of food at once. Since this deep fryer can be used in residential or commercial settings, it’s very durable. You can set this deep fryer between 60-200 degrees Celsius. The S-shaped heating element speeds up the preheating process, so you can start cooking sooner. There’s a safety feature that will shut off the fryer if the oil gets too hot. Pros Commercial grade deep fryer that will handle a lot of use, so you can fry food frequently Large capacity allows you to cook a lot of food at once Double baskets so you can fry two different types of food at the same Cons The heating controls are all in Celsius, so if you’re used to Fahrenheit, you’ll need to do some conversions to get the correct temperature Secura Electric Deep Fryer 3 Fry BasketsYou can use two smaller baskets or one large one in this deep fryer. Best with a TimerFind on Amazon You can fry onion rings and french fries at the same time in this unique deep fryer. It comes with three different baskets. There are two smaller ones for side-by-side frying. There’s also a jumbo basket, for when you want to cook more at once. The adjustable temperature controls allow you to pick a precise temperature for your oil. There’s a timer that goes up to 30 minutes. Once the time is up, it’ll shut down the heating element. This safety feature helps prevent overcooked or burned food. The lid design also helps with safety, reducing oil splatter and a mess at the same time. You can lift the basket into draining mode without taking off the lid, so you’ll keep the hot oil contained. When it’s time to clean your machine or change the oil, you can remove the oil tank. Pros Timer allows you to cook your food for exactly the right amount of time Two sizes of baskets provide flexibility when frying food Removable oil tank makes it easy to change the oil and clean out the chunks left behind Cons While the baskets are fairly easy to clean, sometimes battered food can get stuck on them and cleaning will take more time Frequently Asked Questions Are deep fryers safe? When you deep fry food, you’re heating oil to a very high temperature. Any time you work with hot oil, there is a chance for a burn. Make sure you keep kids and pets out of the kitchen while you use your deep fryer. This will help you avoid any accidents. Always stay in the kitchen while you’re frying. You don’t want to walk off and forget about it, as your food could burn and the oil could start a fire. In addition to burns and fires, deep fryers pose some food safety concerns. It’s essential to cook the food completely. When you’re frying chicken or other meat, make sure it is cooked through. It’s important to know about the risks. But, if you follow common safety guidelines, you will be able to create delicious deep-fried food at home safely. Can I reuse my cooking oil from the deep fryer? You can typically save your oil and use it for your next batch of deep-frying. However, you will want to sift out any large pieces of batter before storing it. It’s best if you also strain the oil to remove any small chunks. Then, store your oil in an air-tight container until you’re ready to fry up something else. You can often get a few uses out of each batch of oil. However, it’s important to know what to watch for. When your oil is cloudy, or if it smells bad, you need to dispose of it. Use a new batch, and repeat the process.